Q. Thinking about the issue of asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat, which of the following alternatives do you think is the best way to process those arriving:

Total

Vote Labor

Vote Lib/Nat

Vote Greens

50% or more

About 25%

About 10%

About 5%

1% or less

Offshore, in any other country

11%

17%

11%

5%

17%

12%

10%

8%

9%

Offshore, but only in a country where human rights are protected

31%

31%

37%

25%

27%

41%

36%

40%

30%

Onshore (in Australia)

21%

24%

11%

58%

4%

7%

19%

27%

42%

Turn the boats around

28%

21%

36%

6%

51%

39%

30%

23%

15%

Don’t know

9%

8%

6%

6%

1%

1%

5%

3%

4%

The most favoured method of processing asylum seekers was ‘offshore, but only in a country where human rights are protected’ (31%), followed by ‘turn the boats around’ (28%).

Respondents then favour processing ‘onshore in Australia’ (21%) over processing asylum seekers ‘offshore in any other country’ (11%).

Coalition voters are more likely to prefer processing asylum seekers offshore where human rights are protected (37%), as well as turning the boats around (36%).

Greens voters are much more likely to prefer onshore processing in Australia (58%). Labor voters are more likely to prefer processing offshore in any other country (17%) and somewhat more likely to prefer processing ‘onshore in Australia’ (24%).

Respondents that believe the proportion of boat arrivals constitute ‘50% or more’ of the annual immigration intake are far more likely to favour ‘turning the boats around’ (51%).

Conversely, respondents that believe the proportion to be ‘1% or less’ are far more likely to be in favour of processing onshore in Australia (42%).

Q. Thinking about asylum seekers arriving in Australia, how important do you think each of the following features are for a good refugee processing system?

Very important

Important

Not very important

Not at all important

Don’t know

Total Important

Total Not Important

Stopping the boats

52%

22%

11%

8%

7%

74%

19%

Keeping costs down

47%

34%

11%

2%

6%

81%

13%

Protecting human rights

42%

38%

9%

5%

6%

80%

14%

Avoiding prolonged detention

35%

33%

13%

12%

8%

68%

25%

Making sure children have their claims processed in Australia

26%

32%

18%

13%

11%

58%

31%

Allowing Australian courts to review claims

22%

34%

16%

16%

12%

56%

32%

Approval from the United Nations

22%

32%

20%

16%

11%

54%

36%

Making sure asylum seekers are not returned to the countries they have fled

20%

29%

18%

20%

13%

49%

38%

Please note: ‘Total Important’ is an aggregate figure achieved by adding ‘Very Important’ and ‘Important’ together. ‘Total Not Important’ is an aggregate figure that has been achieved by adding ‘Not very important’ and ‘Not at all important’ together.

The most important feature of a ‘good refugee processing system’ is ‘keeping the costs down’, with 81% of respondents regarding this to be either very important or important, followed by ‘protecting human rights’ (80% total important).

Seventy four per cent (74%) of respondents believed that ‘stopping the boats’ is an important feature and 68% regard ‘avoiding prolonged detention’ to be an important feature.

Amongst the least important features of a good refugee processing system is ‘approval from the United Nations’, with only 54% regarding this to be important and 36% viewing it as not important.

Making sure asylum seekers are not returned to the countries they have fled was the least important attribute, with only 49% believing it to be important and 38% regarding it as not important.

Q. Thinking about the issue of asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat – do you think they should be processed in Australia or should they be sent to another country for processing?

Total

Vote Labor

Vote Lib/Nat

Vote Greens

Process in Australia

36%

44%

27%

73%

Sent to another country

53%

44%

65%

15%

Don’t know

11%

12%

8%

12%

53% favour sending asylum seekers to another country for processing and 36% favour processing them in Australia. Liberal/National voters strongly favour sending them to another country (65%), Greens voters strongly favour processing them in Australia (73%) and Labor voters are split (44%/44%).

Q. Actually, the number of asylum seekers reaching Australia by boat has fallen by more than half in 2011 compared to 2010. Based on that information, now how concerned are you about the number of asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat?

Total

Vote Labor

Vote Lib/Nat

Vote Greens

Very concerned

33%

24%

43%

9%

Somewhat concerned

25%

27%

30%

11%

A little concerned

20%

23%

17%

26%

Not at all concerned

19%

25%

8%

50%

Don’t know

3%

2%

1%

3%

When told that the number of asylum seekers arriving by boat had fallen by more than half, 33% said they were very concerned (down 10% from the earlier question), 25% somewhat concerned (up 1%) and 39% a little or not concerned (up 9%).

Q. The Government has recently made an agreement to send asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia to Malaysia for processing, and in return Australia will take a fixed number of refugees from Malaysia. Do you support or oppose this agreement?

16 June 11

Total

Vote Labor

Vote Lib/Nat

Vote Greens

Total support

40%

31%

50%

25%

19%

Total oppose

39%

53%

31%

67%

60%

Strongly support

13%

6%

9%

4%

3%

Support

27%

25%

41%

21%

16%

Oppose

22%

23%

17%

24%

35%

Strongly oppose

17%

30%

14%

43%

25%

Don’t know

21%

16%

18%

9%

21%

31% support the agreement to send asylum seekers to Malaysia for processing and 53% oppose. This represents a significant increase in opposition to this scheme from that recorded 6 weeks ago – support is down 9% and opposition up 14%.

This shift is mainly due to changed opinions of Liberal/National voters. Support from Labor voters is up 3% to 50% while opposition from Liberal/National voters has increased by 22% to 67%. Opposition from Greens voters has also increased by 9% to 60%.

Q. The Government has announced two possible agreements with Malaysia and Papua New Guinea on asylum seekers. Under these agreements, asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia will be sent to either Malaysia or PNG for processing, and in return Australia will take a fixed number of refugees from Malaysia.

Do you support or oppose the Government’s plan to send asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia to PNG and Malaysia?

Total

Vote Labor

Vote Liberal/ National

Vote Greens

Total support

40%

55%

40%

29%

Total oppose

40%

25%

49%

53%

Strongly support

11%

16%

12%

5%

Support

29%

39%

28%

24%

Oppose

20%

16%

19%

33%

Strongly oppose

20%

9%

30%

20%

Don’t know

19%

20%

12%

17%

Respondents were divided over the Government’s plan to send asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia to PNG and Malaysia – 40% support and 40% oppose. Labor voters were more likely to support the plan (55%) while Greens voters were most likely to oppose it (53%).

Q. Do you support or oppose the Government’s plan to send asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia to PNG and Malaysia if it means it will cost taxpayers substantially more than it would if we just processed asylum seekers on the mainland in Australia?

Total

Vote Labor

Vote Liberal/ National

Vote Greens

Total support

24%

35%

23%

15%

Total oppose

60%

49%

66%

69%

Strongly support

6%

8%

6%

3%

Support

18%

27%

17%

12%

Oppose

29%

31%

25%

35%

Strongly oppose

31%

18%

41%

34%

Don’t know

16%

16%

11%

16%

Respondents were more likely to oppose the plan to send asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia to PNG and Malaysia if it means it will cost taxpayers substantially more than it would if we just processed asylum seekers on the mainland in Australia – 24% support and 60% oppose.

Labor voters showed the largest shift in opinion if increased cost to taxpayers was taken into account – their opposition increased from 25% to 49%.